Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Advances in robotics, embedded and information systems are enabling a rapid development of teleoperated robotic systems. In telerobotic applications such as bomb disposal, remotely operated aircraft and underwater vehicles, search and rescue and robotic surgery, robots primarily serve as extensions of people. Human operators, often geographically distant, interact with robots through a communication channel.
Natural and human-caused disaster circumstances impose specific constraints on teleoperated robotic systems. The systems are expected to operate with limited power resources, often lacking a basic infrastructure, and in challenging climates and environments. Some of the applications of such systems include handling radioactive material; operating unmanned vehicles for air (e.g., UAV, drone), space (e.g., near Earth's orbit or a manned platform or vehicle), land, and underwater (e.g., ROV) exploration; and telesurgery. With an increase in possible applications, however, the risk of such systems being misused, deliberately tampered with, or even compromised increases as well. These security threats are especially harmful if teleoperated robotic systems are used for inspection, repair and manipulation, such as in telerobotic surgery systems.
In some embodiments, secure processors are utilized. Secure coprocessors can include dedicated chips, microprocessors or computers, which provide tamper-resistance and enable executing of cryptographic method. Various applications of secure coprocessors have been proposed for use in commercial, military, and electronic voting applications.